Chicago Allergy and Health Blog

Seasonal allergies can wreak havoc on your life.  For some, the symptoms are so severe, they keep sufferers home in bed.  What can you do to minimize your allergy symptoms?  Here are some simple tips:

1)  Nasal irrigation  is a perfect way to eliminate allergens from your nasal passages.  It is safe and inexpensive and can be done several times per day.  In the morning, it can help clear you of dust mites and molds found in your bedding.  In the evening, it can clear pollen before you go to sleep.

2)  Showering before bed is another good practice.  You will rinse any excess pollen from your body and minimize the transfer of allergens into your bed.  BUT - make sure you dry your hair thoroughly before you lay down.  Wet hair on a pillow or mattress is a perfect environment for mold. So though you may have elminated the pollen, you may be creating a more pervasive issue with the mold.

3)  If you exercise outdoors, avoid the hours between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m as that is the period during which pollen is emitted.  As an alternative, excercise inside.

4)  Swimming is an ideal activity for those suffering with allergies and asthma.  The humid air near water keeps the airways moisturized.

5) If you have gas forced air, use high quality air filters in your system.  Change the filters frequently.  Consider a HEPA filter in your bedroom as well as mattress and pillowcase protectors for dustmites.

6)  Take a multivitamins with minerals to provide additional support to your immune system.

Finally, when your system is depleted by seasonal allergies or any allergies, it is especially important to eat  a healthy diet and get plenty of rest. 

Lorri L. Beauchamp, L.Ac.

Yesterday, MSNBC.com reported that children with high levels of pesticide residue in their urine are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  Exposure to pesticides is blamed predominently on diet - especially non-organic fruits and vegetables.  The take away, which is echoed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in Washington D.C., is to eat organic.

As we all know, the premium to buy organic can be substantial so the EWG recommends sticking to organic foods when it comes to the items it calls The Dirty Dozen.  These include celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes and imported grapes.  Individuals who eat 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables from the Dirty Dozen list consume approximately 10 pesiticides each day.  EWG also publishes the Clean 15 - a list of produce items which can be purchased in non-organic form and show very low levels of pesticides.  The Clean 15 includes onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, and honeydew melon.  Eating the recommended number of servings from conventionally grown produce on the Clean 15 would only result in the intake of 2 pesticides during the day.  So if economics are a driving force and buying organic is not realistic for your family, focus your non-organic produce purchases on the Clean 15.

To further reduce exposure to pesticides, it is also recommended that you wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly with cold water and scrub thick-skinned produce with a brush.  No soap or detergent should  be used as this can leave another unwanted chemical residue.

ADHD is estimated to affect 4.5 million children in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control reports that over half of those children take medication for their condition.  For parents interested in using a more holistic approach, Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy using the BAX 3000 has shown to provide significant symptomatic relief for children suffering with ADHD, ADD and other neurological disorders such as Autism.  The therapy involves no needles and no drugs so it is easy to implement with children.  For more information on this therapy and our practice, please contact Chicago Allergy and Health at 773 451 9400.

Lorri L. Beauchamp, L.Ac.

Runny noses and persistent post-nasal drips are the result of the body’s response to a simple component of a food or pollen molecule – a phenolic.  Substance intolerance shows up in many forms besides the common allergic symptoms of swelling, itching, and run-amuck mucous. For instance, it is not uncommon for practitioners to have patients report that “chocolates give them headaches”, “tomatoes cause joint pain”, their “tongue swells up”, or they “develop blisters when they eat nuts”, and they get “severe diarrhea from oranges”. Other allergic reactions to phenolics can include nausea, fatigue, depression, irritability, insomnia, trouble concentrating, muscle ache, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and a host of other unexplained and difficult-to-treat symptoms and disease complexes.  To this amazingly diverse list of afflictions, you can add autism, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia, insomnia, bedwetting, respiratory allergies, headaches, abdominal pains; and asthma in children, as well as in adults; migraine, colitis, hypertension, menstrual disorders, dermatological problems including eczema, and arrhythmias.

Don’t confuse what we’re talking about with “cure-all.” What is given here is a very brief introduction to a discipline of diagnosis and treatment that most allergy sufferers and even most allergists are unaware of. Which are the Real Allergens? It is time to rethink allergies. Maybe the more universal cause of allergies is a set of chemical compounds, more simple than proteins, called phenolics or aromatics. Unfortunately, many researchers holding to the concept of proteins as allergens have largely ignored the work done on phenolics.

Some studies over the past decade suggest that more attention should be focused on aromatic organic chemical compounds found in most foods, pollens, and other organic materials. Since many of these aromatic chemicals are related to phenol, they are called phenolics as a class of physiological substances. Most perfumes, many cooking odors, and many other chemical smells are phenolic compounds, as is everything from the purple color of a grape (malvin) to the spicy taste and smell of cinnamon (cinnamic aldehyde). There are thousands of different phenolic compounds that a person could be allergic or hypersensitive to and not even know it, which is why it is so difficult to address using conventional methods.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of treatment techniques for asthma and allergies do not even consider phenolic sensitivity as a possible factor. Could this be why many forms of allergy treatment do not work? A substantial step forward in understanding allergies is taken by considering the part phenolic compounds have in the plant and animal kingdoms and in human body chemistry. This is especially true of food allergies. Many clinicians dismiss phenolics outright while others are searching for new ways to look at the chemical arena of allergies. Attempting to address allergies without addressing phenolic sensitivity is ridiculous.  How a person develops this condition is complicated. Just know that to test and treat allergy symptoms appropriately this information can not be ignored, but often times it is!

Science is pointing to the fact that phenolics are the cause of a substantial number – if not most allergic responses. Fortunately, there is new technology that can accurately test and treat for phenolic sensitivity. And, given the complexity of the topic I consider it nothing short of a revolutionary breakthrough!

1. Pet allergies may not come from the animal itself. “It could be something else entirely,” says Jeff May, an indoor air quality expert and coauthor of Jeff May’s Healthy Home Tips. “Dust mites from your animal’s bed (or yours), or mold underneath antiques in small spaces” are possible culprits, he says. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that more than 99 percent of homes in the U.S. have detectable cat or dog allergens though less than half of those homes have a dog or cat. Pet allergens are also found on clothing, in schools, hospitals, shopping malls, theatres and even doctor’s offices.
   
2. The risk of allergies is higher in obese children and adolescents. Food allergies are particularly problematic as obese children/adolescents are 59% more likely to suffer with food issues and 26% more likely to have general allergies. (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.)
   
3. Maybe its not your plant that makes you sneeze. Plants – even silk plants – can cause mold.  Often the soil around the plant is the culprit.  “Put a thin layer of gravel on top of each plant’s soil-this helps keep debris in the plant, protecting you from mold allergens,” recommends James M. Seltzer, MD, chairman of the Indoor Environment Committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
   
4. Trouble breathing? Don’t look to your lungs, look to your gut. Seasonal allergies may not be the cause of your stuffy nose.  If  the normal balance of microflora in your stomach and intestines has been altered, your entire immune system can be compromised, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School report, intensifying your body’s response to common allergens like pollen or animal dander. According to scientists, our diet filled with processed food and the increased use of antibiotics may be the leading cause. Diets which are low in sugar and high in raw fruits and vegetables should help restore balance to the intestinal track - especially following treatment with antibiotics.
   
5. Allergies can trigger bad breath. “For some people, a dry mouth, caused by taking antihistamines for allergies or by the postnasal drip that streams down the back of your throat during allergy attacks, can result in bad breath,” says Cyril Meyerowitz, DDS, director of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. “Sometimes tiny pieces of food lodge on the tongue or in the crevices of your tonsils and cause a nasty odor.”

What exactly is an allergy? An allergy is nothing more than the body reacting inappropriately to what should be a harmless substance, food or stimuli. Traditional Western medicine treats the symptoms with antihistamines in pills and shots.  While providing short-term relief to some patients, the root cause of the allergy is not addressed.

There is a new therapy available now that can actually eliminate your need for injections and drugs and provide long-term relief. It is called Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy (NSRT), and it uses an FDA cleared device for consistent, pain-free and effective treatment. Allergies and specifically allergy symptoms can be alleviated by reducing stress. Our technology was designed to reduce stress and in that scope can provide a benefit to patients suffering from allergy symptoms.

NSRT works by exposing a patient to a digitized allergen while providing positive stimulation to specific nerve bundles with a laser.  The laser stimulation , with simultaneous allergen exposure, re-educates the immune response, so the body no longer reacts to the specific allergen.
 If you are suffering with allergies or food sensitivities and having symptoms such as: IBS, fibromyalgia, headaches, eczema, sinuses, chronic fatigue, etc… The BAX-3000 may be able to help. For more information visit BioVedaWellness.com or if you are in the Chicago, IL area call Chicago Allergy and Health, a Bioveda Health and Wellness Center at 1-773-451-9400 for a free consultation.

I’m working with a company, BioVeda Technologies, that has a revolutionary new alternative therapy for stress symptoms associated with seasonal allergies, food allergies, chemical sensitivities and other chronic conditions. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD are often more prone to food allergies and chemical sensitivities. Doctors who use the BAX 3000 Neurological Stress Reduction Therapy (NSRT) for these children are experiencing tremendous success, and families are noting big improvements in their affected child’s response to these stresses.

Overall behavior is improving, and the children who receive this therapy are feeling better in general. BAX 3000 has also shown success in reducing symptoms of eczema and other chronic skin conditions in children.